Saturday 9: Mighty Clouds of Joy (1974)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This song celebrates serenity. Are you feeling peaceful this morning?
A. I am many things, but I don't think "peaceful" is ever really one of them.
2) The lyrics include allusions to sun and clouds. How does the world look where you are? Is it sunny or cloudy?
A. As I am writing this we have been under tornado warnings all day, and one touched down in a nearby county, sending my husband's fire department out for search and rescue duty. We had at least 5 inches of rain, so there has also been flooding.
3) This week's featured artist, BJ Thomas, is in the Grammy Hall of Fame for another hit record that uses weather as a metaphor, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head." Make up a Hall of Fame that you believe you should be inducted into. (For example, Crazy Sam has inducted herself into The Meme Mistress Hall of Fame for her service to Saturday 9.)
A. I shall be inducted into the Introvert's Hall of Fame.
4) When Crazy Sam hears this song, she always sings along . . . loud. Is there a song you simply cannot resist singing along with?
A. Bohemian Rhapsody, American Pie, Band on the Run, Dancing Queen
5) BJ Thomas has performed this song at The Grand Ole Opry. The Opry has been broadcast on the radio every week since 1925, nearly 95 years ago! Of course, back in the 1920s, radio was the only broadcast media. Today we have other choices. Is listening to the radio part of your daily routine?
A. I listen to music through Alexa, mostly, and tend to listen to songs from the 1970s and 1980s, although I also favor music by Sheryl Crow and Melissa Etheridge.
6) Though their dress code is lenient, country music fans who attend the Opry for a live show are warned: "Just remember, there's one rule we take very seriously here at the Grand Ole Opry -- you must wear something." Easter Sunday is a day many of us dress up. What will you be wearing today?
A. Probably sweats and a t-shirt. I don't have plans.
7) Easter is recognized as the start of the spring season. What are you looking forward to this spring?
A. Getting over the allergic part of it, for one thing. Also, I am having a wedding reception/baby shower for my nephew and his new wife. They eloped back in January and I thought they should have a party. I am looking forward to that and I am looking forward to the birth of my great niece.
8) Lilies are popular at Easter. Do you have a favorite flower?
A. I like irises. Mine have just started blooming, although they may be drowned from today's weather.
9) Which would rather find in your Easter basket: yellow marshmallow chicks (aka Peeps) or a plastic egg filled with pennies?
A. How about a plastic egg with a big check for $1 million in it? No? Then I'll take the pennies. I don't like Peeps.
___________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Friday, April 19, 2019
Sing a Song
Volatility is the word of the day. We've had tornado watches and warnings all over, with strong storms moving through and a tornado touch down in Franklin County, only 40 minutes away. Scary stuff when you're home alone and you have no basement.
The song that comes to mind today is Weather Channel, by Sheryl Crow.
Weather Channel
By Sheryl Crow
Sunny morning
You can hear it
Siren's warning
There is weather on both sides
And I know it's coming
Just like before
There's a black dog
That scratches my door
He's been growling my name saying
You better get to running
Can you make it better for me
Can you make me see the light of day
Because I got no one
Who will bring me a
Big umbrella
So I'm watching the weather channel
And waiting for the storm
It's just sugar
Just a pill to make me happy
I know it may not fix the hinges
But at least the door has stopped it¹s creaking
I got friends
They're waiting for me to comb out my hair
Come outside and join the human race
But I don't feel so human
Can you make it better for me
Can you make me see the light of day
Because I got lab coats
Who will bring me a panacea
While I'm watching the weather channel
Waiting for the storm
You won't want me
Hanging around the birthday pony
Even though it's just a game
You know we are the same
But you¹re the better faker.
Songwriters: SHERYL CROW
© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
For non-commercial use only.
_____________________
Linking up with Kwizgiver's April Challenge. You can find the prompts here.
The song that comes to mind today is Weather Channel, by Sheryl Crow.
Weather Channel
By Sheryl Crow
Sunny morning
You can hear it
Siren's warning
There is weather on both sides
And I know it's coming
Just like before
There's a black dog
That scratches my door
He's been growling my name saying
You better get to running
Can you make it better for me
Can you make me see the light of day
Because I got no one
Who will bring me a
Big umbrella
So I'm watching the weather channel
And waiting for the storm
It's just sugar
Just a pill to make me happy
I know it may not fix the hinges
But at least the door has stopped it¹s creaking
I got friends
They're waiting for me to comb out my hair
Come outside and join the human race
But I don't feel so human
Can you make it better for me
Can you make me see the light of day
Because I got lab coats
Who will bring me a panacea
While I'm watching the weather channel
Waiting for the storm
You won't want me
Hanging around the birthday pony
Even though it's just a game
You know we are the same
But you¹re the better faker.
Songwriters: SHERYL CROW
© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
For non-commercial use only.
_____________________
Linking up with Kwizgiver's April Challenge. You can find the prompts here.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Thursday Thirteen
Wisdom from the candy wrappers:
1. Embrace optimism.
2. Cherish the blossoms.
3. Be happy.
4. Be you.
5. Embrace new beginnings.
6. Feel the sunshine.
7. Enjoy spring flowers.
8. Spring is a promise of new hope.
9. Spring into spring.
10. Take time to smell the flowers.
11. Spring has sprung.
12. Take a deep breath & exhale.
13. We're all stories in the end; just make it a good one.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 600th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
1. Embrace optimism.
2. Cherish the blossoms.
3. Be happy.
4. Be you.
5. Embrace new beginnings.
6. Feel the sunshine.
7. Enjoy spring flowers.
8. Spring is a promise of new hope.
9. Spring into spring.
10. Take time to smell the flowers.
11. Spring has sprung.
12. Take a deep breath & exhale.
13. We're all stories in the end; just make it a good one.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 600th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Notre Dame in Paris
Yesterday I returned home from an errand to learn that Notre Dame in Paris was on fire.
The structure lost its spire and the roof but the stone parts remained mostly intact after a long night's work by firefighters. They saved the cathedral's main structure and two towers of the cathedral.
This structure is nearly 900 years old. Construction began un 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely complete by 1260. It was modified frequently throughout the centuries and it houses priceless artifacts and history. In 1804, the cathedral was the site of the Coronation of Napoleon I as Emperor of France, and witnessed the baptism of Henri, Count of Chambord in 1821 and the funerals of several presidents of the Third French Republic.
After Victor Hugo published The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, interest in the church renewed, and the building underwent major restorations between 1844 and 1864. During this time, the iconic spire, which collapsed during yesterday's fire, was added by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who had supervised the restoration. Throughout the last two centuries the structure has undergone several renovation and cleaning projects.
Millions visit Notre Dame every year.
In 1978, I was one of those visitors. I have only two photos to show I was there, small polaroid's taken outside. At that time, cameras weren't allowed inside, if I remember right. Most historic places did not allow pictures to be taken inside. I have only vague memories of my visit there, conjured up as I watched images of the structure burning.
It is too an important event not to note it in my blog. History matters, and I have to wonder if mankind today is capable of constructing the kind of architecture that made Notre Dame so lovely and endearing. Has that kind of craftsmanship has gone the way of the telegraph machine?
May the rebuilding of Notre Dame be the beginning of something great, a phoenix rising from the ashes of what was, and may it prove my earlier statement wrong by bringing out the best of humanity in the restoration efforts.
The structure lost its spire and the roof but the stone parts remained mostly intact after a long night's work by firefighters. They saved the cathedral's main structure and two towers of the cathedral.
This structure is nearly 900 years old. Construction began un 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely complete by 1260. It was modified frequently throughout the centuries and it houses priceless artifacts and history. In 1804, the cathedral was the site of the Coronation of Napoleon I as Emperor of France, and witnessed the baptism of Henri, Count of Chambord in 1821 and the funerals of several presidents of the Third French Republic.
After Victor Hugo published The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, interest in the church renewed, and the building underwent major restorations between 1844 and 1864. During this time, the iconic spire, which collapsed during yesterday's fire, was added by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who had supervised the restoration. Throughout the last two centuries the structure has undergone several renovation and cleaning projects.
Millions visit Notre Dame every year.
In 1978, I was one of those visitors. I have only two photos to show I was there, small polaroid's taken outside. At that time, cameras weren't allowed inside, if I remember right. Most historic places did not allow pictures to be taken inside. I have only vague memories of my visit there, conjured up as I watched images of the structure burning.
It is too an important event not to note it in my blog. History matters, and I have to wonder if mankind today is capable of constructing the kind of architecture that made Notre Dame so lovely and endearing. Has that kind of craftsmanship has gone the way of the telegraph machine?
May the rebuilding of Notre Dame be the beginning of something great, a phoenix rising from the ashes of what was, and may it prove my earlier statement wrong by bringing out the best of humanity in the restoration efforts.
 |
| My polaroid from 1978. This is the bell towers and main entrance. You can see the spire in the middle. |
 |
| A little better shot of the bell tower and spire. |
 |
| Firefighters putting out the fire last night. |
 |
| The structure ablaze. |
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Sunday Stealing
Sunday Stealing
It's always nice when my husband holds my hand.
Oh, that is a rare bird to be sure.
It's a sure sign of the apocalypse when people deny their own best interests out of stupidity, racism, jealousy, or whatever emotion is ruling them.
Are we having chicken again??!.
My heart is in a million pieces but my husband shelters them all.
Do you believe in magic? I do!
I'm a gypsy living in a cyclone of fury racing through the meadows with my traveling cloak flying behind me.
I was listening to the sounds coming from the stars and the voices I heard told me that the universe is laughing at the earth.
The people go crazy and act like they're possessed when the moon is full.
When we kiss, oooo . . . Fire!
Game of Thrones is the best!
Underneath it all, one finds the absurdity of life and the cold hard truth is that reality is nothing and everything all at once, and what is is not and what will be will not be.
Oh! And thanks for nothing, certain people who are not helping me out when they should be and a few others who have hurt my feelings recently. Here's a gift for you - my middle finger.
And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching TV and finishing a book, tomorrow my plans include watching Game of Thrones and Sunday (which is tomorrow, so what's up with this question?), I want to start a new life! One that won't make me sick. One that won't make me nervous, wondering what to do. One that makes me feel the way I feel when I'm . . . oh geez, I'm channeling Huey Lewis & the News.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
It's always nice when my husband holds my hand.
Oh, that is a rare bird to be sure.
It's a sure sign of the apocalypse when people deny their own best interests out of stupidity, racism, jealousy, or whatever emotion is ruling them.
Are we having chicken again??!.
My heart is in a million pieces but my husband shelters them all.
Do you believe in magic? I do!
I'm a gypsy living in a cyclone of fury racing through the meadows with my traveling cloak flying behind me.
I was listening to the sounds coming from the stars and the voices I heard told me that the universe is laughing at the earth.
The people go crazy and act like they're possessed when the moon is full.
When we kiss, oooo . . . Fire!
Game of Thrones is the best!
Underneath it all, one finds the absurdity of life and the cold hard truth is that reality is nothing and everything all at once, and what is is not and what will be will not be.
Oh! And thanks for nothing, certain people who are not helping me out when they should be and a few others who have hurt my feelings recently. Here's a gift for you - my middle finger.
And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching TV and finishing a book, tomorrow my plans include watching Game of Thrones and Sunday (which is tomorrow, so what's up with this question?), I want to start a new life! One that won't make me sick. One that won't make me nervous, wondering what to do. One that makes me feel the way I feel when I'm . . . oh geez, I'm channeling Huey Lewis & the News.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Saturday 9: April Love
Saturday 9: April Love (1957)
Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.
1) In this song, Pat Boone sings that April love is a wonder reserved for the very young. Do you think the sensation of falling in love changes as we grow older?
A. Love changes as you age but I don't know if the initial sensation is different. An old love, like mine, is more like an old sneaker, well-worn and well-loved, while new love is heady, giddy, and like a pair of dance shoes. I don't know if that is any different if you are older. I suspect not.
2) "April Love" reached #1 on the charts. Between this song and "Love Letters in the Sand," Pat Boone had a career year. Only one artist sold more records in 1957: Elvis Presley. When you think of Elvis, what's the first song that comes to mind?
A. My Way.
3) Pat was extremely busy in high school. He wrote for the school paper, ran track, and acted in school plays. Share a memory of your extracurricular activities during high school.
A. I played in the band, where I sat through cold football games and in overheated gyms for basketball games, all so we could play the fight song.
4) It was his track coach who introduced Pat to the new girl in school, Shirley Foley. Three years later Pat and Shirley married, and remained man and wife for 65 years, until her death earlier this year. Who is the longest married couple you know?
A. Some of my friends are near their 40th year of marriage. Most of the other folks I can think of are widowed now.
5) Pat has lived in the same house for more than 60 years. He once received an offer to sell it for $18,000,000 but turned it down because it's the Boone family home and he simply doesn't want to leave. Do you plan on moving in the foreseeable future?
A. No.
6) Pat has a warm friendship with his neighbors, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. Pat has mentioned in interviews that he has enjoyed bike rides around Beverly Hills with Sharon. Tell us about one of your neighbors.
A. My neighbor Lanetta is about 78 years old, give or take a year or two, and she is a farmer. She was the athletic director at my alma mater for a long time and was quite instrumental in instituting Title IX athletics for women in Virginia. Here's a video about her. She has been named to four halls of fame for women’s lacrosse: Hollins, the University of Richmond, US Lacrosse, and Virginia Lacrosse. The Virginia Umpiring Award for Service and Devotion to the game is known as the Lanetta T. Ware Award. Additionally, The Blue Ridge Board of Officials offers The Lanetta Ware Service Award to the individual who has demonstrated a lifetime of service to sports through umpiring. Ware was an internationally rated lacrosse umpire, working for 28 years at the collegiate level, and is a recognized authority on field hockey, having officiated in a number of national and international field hockey competitions.
7) Mr. Boone was very critical of Barack Obama, enthusiastically supports Donald Trump, and has appeared on Fox News to express his views. How do you feel about celebrities talking politics?
A. They have a right to express their opinions just like the rest of us. Unfortunately, too many people are unable to differentiate between opinion and fact anymore.
8) In 1957, the year this song was popular, Dr. Ian Donald pioneered the use of ultrasound technology. Today ultrasounds are commonly used by doctors in diagnosing conditions affecting the eyes, blood vessels, kidneys, gall bladder and more. Have you ever had an ultrasound?
A. Yes, I have had numerous ultrasounds, mostly when I was trying to conceive a child and suffering from severe endometriosis that kept creating massive cysts on my ovaries that would then twist and become septic, forcing a surgery. I had 9 abdominal surgeries before they finally did a hysterectomy because I was young and because as a woman I had no say over my own body and couldn't just say, "Give me a damn hysterectomy." They wouldn't because, "you might get lucky and have a child" even though the odds were like 1 in a 1000 that would happen. I finally had the hysterectomy when I was 29. Still paying for the problems with scar tissue issues, thank you very much all you stupid doctors who wouldn't perform a hysterectomy when I was 24 years old and writhing in pain and begging for one.
9) Random question: You're sitting alone in a restaurant, waiting for a friend. The waiter brings you a drink and the compliments of a member of the opposite sex seated at the bar. What's your reaction? Are you flattered, shocked, embarrassed, intrigued or annoyed?
A. I would be afraid I was being set up to be robbed, because who pays attention to an overweight old lady? Nobody. Maybe they want my iPhone.
___________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. (#280)
Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.
1) In this song, Pat Boone sings that April love is a wonder reserved for the very young. Do you think the sensation of falling in love changes as we grow older?
A. Love changes as you age but I don't know if the initial sensation is different. An old love, like mine, is more like an old sneaker, well-worn and well-loved, while new love is heady, giddy, and like a pair of dance shoes. I don't know if that is any different if you are older. I suspect not.
2) "April Love" reached #1 on the charts. Between this song and "Love Letters in the Sand," Pat Boone had a career year. Only one artist sold more records in 1957: Elvis Presley. When you think of Elvis, what's the first song that comes to mind?
A. My Way.
3) Pat was extremely busy in high school. He wrote for the school paper, ran track, and acted in school plays. Share a memory of your extracurricular activities during high school.
A. I played in the band, where I sat through cold football games and in overheated gyms for basketball games, all so we could play the fight song.
4) It was his track coach who introduced Pat to the new girl in school, Shirley Foley. Three years later Pat and Shirley married, and remained man and wife for 65 years, until her death earlier this year. Who is the longest married couple you know?
A. Some of my friends are near their 40th year of marriage. Most of the other folks I can think of are widowed now.
5) Pat has lived in the same house for more than 60 years. He once received an offer to sell it for $18,000,000 but turned it down because it's the Boone family home and he simply doesn't want to leave. Do you plan on moving in the foreseeable future?
A. No.
6) Pat has a warm friendship with his neighbors, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. Pat has mentioned in interviews that he has enjoyed bike rides around Beverly Hills with Sharon. Tell us about one of your neighbors.
A. My neighbor Lanetta is about 78 years old, give or take a year or two, and she is a farmer. She was the athletic director at my alma mater for a long time and was quite instrumental in instituting Title IX athletics for women in Virginia. Here's a video about her. She has been named to four halls of fame for women’s lacrosse: Hollins, the University of Richmond, US Lacrosse, and Virginia Lacrosse. The Virginia Umpiring Award for Service and Devotion to the game is known as the Lanetta T. Ware Award. Additionally, The Blue Ridge Board of Officials offers The Lanetta Ware Service Award to the individual who has demonstrated a lifetime of service to sports through umpiring. Ware was an internationally rated lacrosse umpire, working for 28 years at the collegiate level, and is a recognized authority on field hockey, having officiated in a number of national and international field hockey competitions.
7) Mr. Boone was very critical of Barack Obama, enthusiastically supports Donald Trump, and has appeared on Fox News to express his views. How do you feel about celebrities talking politics?
A. They have a right to express their opinions just like the rest of us. Unfortunately, too many people are unable to differentiate between opinion and fact anymore.
8) In 1957, the year this song was popular, Dr. Ian Donald pioneered the use of ultrasound technology. Today ultrasounds are commonly used by doctors in diagnosing conditions affecting the eyes, blood vessels, kidneys, gall bladder and more. Have you ever had an ultrasound?
A. Yes, I have had numerous ultrasounds, mostly when I was trying to conceive a child and suffering from severe endometriosis that kept creating massive cysts on my ovaries that would then twist and become septic, forcing a surgery. I had 9 abdominal surgeries before they finally did a hysterectomy because I was young and because as a woman I had no say over my own body and couldn't just say, "Give me a damn hysterectomy." They wouldn't because, "you might get lucky and have a child" even though the odds were like 1 in a 1000 that would happen. I finally had the hysterectomy when I was 29. Still paying for the problems with scar tissue issues, thank you very much all you stupid doctors who wouldn't perform a hysterectomy when I was 24 years old and writhing in pain and begging for one.
9) Random question: You're sitting alone in a restaurant, waiting for a friend. The waiter brings you a drink and the compliments of a member of the opposite sex seated at the bar. What's your reaction? Are you flattered, shocked, embarrassed, intrigued or annoyed?
A. I would be afraid I was being set up to be robbed, because who pays attention to an overweight old lady? Nobody. Maybe they want my iPhone.
___________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. (#280)
Friday, April 12, 2019
A Perfect Day
Waking with sleepies in my eyes
my heart soft from a dream
where people were nice, friendly, calm
life is good.
Shower is hot, bacon is warm, eggs scrambled
like a jigsaw puzzle in a box
a little exercise Tai Chi in the grass
just to be good.
Reading on a novel where the heroine is moving
forward to become a better someone
because character building is what it takes
to make a novel good.
Sipping on a cool glass of water
hearing turkeys gobble in the distance
watching a deer graze in the field
this is good.
Hearing from a friend someone who loves me
regardless of who I think I am because that is
not really who I am
because I am good.
A soft kiss, a quiet sigh, holding hands
in the twilight watching the sun sink below
North Mountain, catching the first glimpse of starlight
oh it is good.
_____________________
Linking up with Kwizgiver's April Challenge. You can find the prompts here.
my heart soft from a dream
where people were nice, friendly, calm
life is good.
Shower is hot, bacon is warm, eggs scrambled
like a jigsaw puzzle in a box
a little exercise Tai Chi in the grass
just to be good.
Reading on a novel where the heroine is moving
forward to become a better someone
because character building is what it takes
to make a novel good.
Sipping on a cool glass of water
hearing turkeys gobble in the distance
watching a deer graze in the field
this is good.
Hearing from a friend someone who loves me
regardless of who I think I am because that is
not really who I am
because I am good.
A soft kiss, a quiet sigh, holding hands
in the twilight watching the sun sink below
North Mountain, catching the first glimpse of starlight
oh it is good.
_____________________
Linking up with Kwizgiver's April Challenge. You can find the prompts here.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Thursday Thirteen
It's National Poetry Month. Here are 13 stanzas from some of my poetry. These are actually unfinished. Some I hadn't looked at in years. They were in my poetry folder on my computer.
---
The day the harpoon
cut my hand in half
I was clinging to you
like a mollusk to a hull.
You flung me ashore,
no water, no food,
left me bleeding in salty
tangy water, with sharks
circling all around.
----
Dawn breaks down the darkness
sending sunshine trickling
like water over rocks,
gems glistening on sandy beaches.
Dawn beams down on earth
warming soils, bringing growth
to sprigs of trees,
petals to flowers,
soft like clouds.
Dawn shines over mountaintops
sending shadows on towns.
Children quiver, close their eyes,
thank God, they see
a light.
----
See, the zebra had stripes
with spots and sprinkles
but God, Almighty, looked,
laughed, and lightly sent Angels
to correct His mistake.
The God, Almighty, neglected
to mention His errors
to the writers of His Ways,
those dudes who wrote that Bible.
Like Paul and Peter, the one
with Pumpkins, who splattered and bled
all over some town.
While God, Almighty, watched
Sonny & Cher on a big screen.
----
Deer bathe serenely in sunlight
Acorns at their hooves.
Autumn comes.
Leaves turn dull brown
flung to the earth
by ruthless winds.
Rains slash skies,
gray, dark, light dimming
like a mother
drowning love.
Autumn comes.
Guns bark out death
while leaves fall
and I leave you.
----
Jezebel jerks and whirls
a spinning top, telling
tales, mothers’ wail,
waves swell, water falls
people fall, buildings tall
hear the cries
turn of eyes
hearts of sighs
no goodbyes.
----------------------------
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 599th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
---
The day the harpoon
cut my hand in half
I was clinging to you
like a mollusk to a hull.
You flung me ashore,
no water, no food,
left me bleeding in salty
tangy water, with sharks
circling all around.
----
Dawn breaks down the darkness
sending sunshine trickling
like water over rocks,
gems glistening on sandy beaches.
Dawn beams down on earth
warming soils, bringing growth
to sprigs of trees,
petals to flowers,
soft like clouds.
Dawn shines over mountaintops
sending shadows on towns.
Children quiver, close their eyes,
thank God, they see
a light.
----
See, the zebra had stripes
with spots and sprinkles
but God, Almighty, looked,
laughed, and lightly sent Angels
to correct His mistake.
The God, Almighty, neglected
to mention His errors
to the writers of His Ways,
those dudes who wrote that Bible.
Like Paul and Peter, the one
with Pumpkins, who splattered and bled
all over some town.
While God, Almighty, watched
Sonny & Cher on a big screen.
----
Deer bathe serenely in sunlight
Acorns at their hooves.
Autumn comes.
Leaves turn dull brown
flung to the earth
by ruthless winds.
Rains slash skies,
gray, dark, light dimming
like a mother
drowning love.
Autumn comes.
Guns bark out death
while leaves fall
and I leave you.
----
Jezebel jerks and whirls
a spinning top, telling
tales, mothers’ wail,
waves swell, water falls
people fall, buildings tall
hear the cries
turn of eyes
hearts of sighs
no goodbyes.
----------------------------
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 599th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
A Place I've Never Visited
Maybe the grass is maroon
glowing brightly in darkness
beneath two moons that skim the mountains
made of mushrooms
with a horizon the color of a brilliant sword
honed to the finest point.
Maybe the trees walk in that bright moonlight
clasping hands and greeting each other
old friends with many things and nothing
to say as the long drawn out evening wears on
because this place has no sunshine
not really
only a hazy glaze that brightens into twilight
a shimmer that fades quietly away.
Maybe the animals talk and there are no people
not people like we think of people, anyway
and the beings that inhabit this place do not
destroy or create hierarchies or consider one
better than another because they know
true equality exists only when you can see
that the planet will outlast you
and you're only an ant, if they have ants.
Maybe this place exists in the Delta Quadrant
far away in another galaxy
light years and generations away
a place I will never see
or maybe it is on the dust mote
beneath my feet and I am the shadow,
my sneakers the moons
my heartbeat the rhythm,
the only sound of this world.
_____________________
Linking up with Kwizgiver's April Challenge. You can find the prompts here.
glowing brightly in darkness
beneath two moons that skim the mountains
made of mushrooms
with a horizon the color of a brilliant sword
honed to the finest point.
Maybe the trees walk in that bright moonlight
clasping hands and greeting each other
old friends with many things and nothing
to say as the long drawn out evening wears on
because this place has no sunshine
not really
only a hazy glaze that brightens into twilight
a shimmer that fades quietly away.
Maybe the animals talk and there are no people
not people like we think of people, anyway
and the beings that inhabit this place do not
destroy or create hierarchies or consider one
better than another because they know
true equality exists only when you can see
that the planet will outlast you
and you're only an ant, if they have ants.
Maybe this place exists in the Delta Quadrant
far away in another galaxy
light years and generations away
a place I will never see
or maybe it is on the dust mote
beneath my feet and I am the shadow,
my sneakers the moons
my heartbeat the rhythm,
the only sound of this world.
_____________________
Linking up with Kwizgiver's April Challenge. You can find the prompts here.
Tuesday, April 09, 2019
How Turkeys Mate
This morning I saw a first - I saw a gobbler catch his hen and have his way with her.
It started out odd. The hen was on the ground in front of the gobbler, almost like she'd bowed down to him. Then he climbed on top of her. I was watching from a window and I confess my first thought was, "What the hell is going on?" and then I realized, as I watched the gobbler start to thrust, that they were having sex.
I had not given much thought to how turkeys have sex.
It went on long enough for me to leave the bedroom and into my office to grab a camera and get back to the window in time to take about 35 photos. I mean, how often do you get to see this?
Like, next to never.
This is from a science website:
"If the female turkey is receptive to his advances she will lower herself in front of the male. The male hops up on top of the female to mate with her. Sperm is transferred from the male's cloaca to the female's cloaca. The cloaca is the name for the vent that leads to the turkeys' sex organs. The turkeys place their vents next to each other in order to allow the transference of sperm."
So that is what I was watching in scientific terms.
Holy cow. Or maybe "totally turkey."
It started out odd. The hen was on the ground in front of the gobbler, almost like she'd bowed down to him. Then he climbed on top of her. I was watching from a window and I confess my first thought was, "What the hell is going on?" and then I realized, as I watched the gobbler start to thrust, that they were having sex.
I had not given much thought to how turkeys have sex.
It went on long enough for me to leave the bedroom and into my office to grab a camera and get back to the window in time to take about 35 photos. I mean, how often do you get to see this?
Like, next to never.
This is from a science website:
"If the female turkey is receptive to his advances she will lower herself in front of the male. The male hops up on top of the female to mate with her. Sperm is transferred from the male's cloaca to the female's cloaca. The cloaca is the name for the vent that leads to the turkeys' sex organs. The turkeys place their vents next to each other in order to allow the transference of sperm."
So that is what I was watching in scientific terms.
Holy cow. Or maybe "totally turkey."
Monday, April 08, 2019
Things in Common
I have several people whom I consider best friends, but my very best friend is my husband.
He and I are two very different people, and sometimes I wonder how it is that we've remained married and friends for 35 years. After such a long time, one might think two very different personalities would be sick of one another.
However, we have a few things in common. We both have a great sense of humor. While he tends more toward what I call "garbage" humor, as in, say, Monty Python or bathroom jokes, I am more sardonic and my humor is more of an off-the-cuff variety. However, my husband has taught me the value of a good laugh at a great fart joke (or a great fart), because after you live with someone for so long, you're just going to fart in front of one another. At some point, you may as well laugh about it. And now that I've read somewhere that smelling farts can keep one from having dementia, we have now nicknamed farts the anti-dementia gas. Go figure.
We also both love the rural life, although I like to look at it and take pictures of it from inside the house while he prefers to be out in the fields riding around in a tractor. Still, I'd rather look at fields of orchard grass than the backside of someone else's house. We both embrace the wildlife, me with my camera and he with his shotgun sometimes, but even so, we have a mutual respect for the land and what Mother Nature has given us to care for. For a time we had a garden, but between fighting off the deer and other animals and aging, we've given up on that for the most part. Even so, there are days when I enjoy having my hands in the dirt of my flower bed, while he enjoys having the dirt all over him. How's that for something in common?
Another thing we have in common is that we're both rather, um, thrifty. We don't spend money on stuff unless we have to. We have stuff around here that's 30 years old. So long as it still works, it will still be here another 30. However, we will spend money on important things, like nephews and nieces and home improvements and stuff like that.
And that's my thought for the day.
_____________________
Linking up with Kwizgiver's April Challenge. You can find the prompts here.
He and I are two very different people, and sometimes I wonder how it is that we've remained married and friends for 35 years. After such a long time, one might think two very different personalities would be sick of one another.
However, we have a few things in common. We both have a great sense of humor. While he tends more toward what I call "garbage" humor, as in, say, Monty Python or bathroom jokes, I am more sardonic and my humor is more of an off-the-cuff variety. However, my husband has taught me the value of a good laugh at a great fart joke (or a great fart), because after you live with someone for so long, you're just going to fart in front of one another. At some point, you may as well laugh about it. And now that I've read somewhere that smelling farts can keep one from having dementia, we have now nicknamed farts the anti-dementia gas. Go figure.
We also both love the rural life, although I like to look at it and take pictures of it from inside the house while he prefers to be out in the fields riding around in a tractor. Still, I'd rather look at fields of orchard grass than the backside of someone else's house. We both embrace the wildlife, me with my camera and he with his shotgun sometimes, but even so, we have a mutual respect for the land and what Mother Nature has given us to care for. For a time we had a garden, but between fighting off the deer and other animals and aging, we've given up on that for the most part. Even so, there are days when I enjoy having my hands in the dirt of my flower bed, while he enjoys having the dirt all over him. How's that for something in common?
Another thing we have in common is that we're both rather, um, thrifty. We don't spend money on stuff unless we have to. We have stuff around here that's 30 years old. So long as it still works, it will still be here another 30. However, we will spend money on important things, like nephews and nieces and home improvements and stuff like that.
And that's my thought for the day.
_____________________
Linking up with Kwizgiver's April Challenge. You can find the prompts here.
Sunday, April 07, 2019
Sunday Stealing
Sunday Stealing
1. If you could build a second house anywhere, where would it be?
A. Somewhere where it stays a little warmer in the winter. Georgia, maybe, if I could find a blue enclave in that state.
2. What are your favorite articles of clothing?
A. Apparently sweat pants and t-shirts, since that is mostly what I wear.
3. The last CD you bought or downloaded?
A. I think it was the latest Rolling Stones album, which I purchased for my husband.
4. What time do you generally wake up in the morning?
A. My alarm goes off at 6:15 a.m.
5. What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
A. The dishwasher.
6. If you could play an instrument, what would it be?
A. I play the guitar already.
7. What is your favorite color?
A. Blue.
8. Do you believe in the afterlife?
A. I believe we are all part of the universe and when we die we become one with it. We are breathing the air of our ancestors and tilling the soil upon which they tread. Others will do the same with me. My body will feed the worms and my heart will make a tree grow. I'm perfectly content with that.
9. Your favorite children’s book?
A. Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery
10. Can you juggle?
A. I don't think so. :::makes an effort with a few ink pens::: Nope.
11. What’s your favorite day of the week?
A. I don't really have one. I think for six weeks it will be Sunday, when Game of Thrones premieres its final season next week.
12. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
A. I've never had sushi and have no plans to have sushi, so I will go with a hamburger. Besides, I'm allergic to fish.
13. What is your favorite flower?
A. An iris.
14. What is your favorite meal?
A. If my stomach wasn't constantly aggravated, I'd say pizza without thinking about it. But I haven't had a pizza in a couple of years, I guess.
15. Describe your ideal weather.
A. Sunny and temperatures around 72 degrees with a slight breeze and an occasional cloud in crystal blue skies. Although I can also get into a good thunderstorm.
16. What is your favorite ice cream?
A. I don't eat ice cream; milk products bother me. I do eat chocolate frozen yogurt, though.
17. What is your favorite breakfast?
A. Scrambled eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits and gravy.
18. Where did you meet your spouse or significant other?
A. At a high school football game.
Bonus: What is something you’d like to do that you’ve never done before?
A. Hike to McAfee's Knob.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
1. If you could build a second house anywhere, where would it be?
A. Somewhere where it stays a little warmer in the winter. Georgia, maybe, if I could find a blue enclave in that state.
2. What are your favorite articles of clothing?
A. Apparently sweat pants and t-shirts, since that is mostly what I wear.
3. The last CD you bought or downloaded?
A. I think it was the latest Rolling Stones album, which I purchased for my husband.
4. What time do you generally wake up in the morning?
A. My alarm goes off at 6:15 a.m.
5. What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
A. The dishwasher.
6. If you could play an instrument, what would it be?
A. I play the guitar already.
7. What is your favorite color?
A. Blue.
8. Do you believe in the afterlife?
A. I believe we are all part of the universe and when we die we become one with it. We are breathing the air of our ancestors and tilling the soil upon which they tread. Others will do the same with me. My body will feed the worms and my heart will make a tree grow. I'm perfectly content with that.
9. Your favorite children’s book?
A. Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery
10. Can you juggle?
A. I don't think so. :::makes an effort with a few ink pens::: Nope.
11. What’s your favorite day of the week?
A. I don't really have one. I think for six weeks it will be Sunday, when Game of Thrones premieres its final season next week.
12. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
A. I've never had sushi and have no plans to have sushi, so I will go with a hamburger. Besides, I'm allergic to fish.
13. What is your favorite flower?
A. An iris.
14. What is your favorite meal?
A. If my stomach wasn't constantly aggravated, I'd say pizza without thinking about it. But I haven't had a pizza in a couple of years, I guess.
15. Describe your ideal weather.
A. Sunny and temperatures around 72 degrees with a slight breeze and an occasional cloud in crystal blue skies. Although I can also get into a good thunderstorm.
16. What is your favorite ice cream?
A. I don't eat ice cream; milk products bother me. I do eat chocolate frozen yogurt, though.
17. What is your favorite breakfast?
A. Scrambled eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits and gravy.
18. Where did you meet your spouse or significant other?
A. At a high school football game.
Bonus: What is something you’d like to do that you’ve never done before?
A. Hike to McAfee's Knob.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Saturday, April 06, 2019
Saturday 9: Turn Back Time
Saturday 9: If I Could Turn Back Time (1989)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) The official video for this song was filmed on board the battleship USS Missouri. When is the last time you were on a boat or ship?
A. We took a little boat tour around Myrtle Beach some years ago. So sometime in the last 20 years.
2) This song was written by Diane Warren. Ms. Warren has written love songs recorded by Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, LeAnn Rimes and more, yet she's never married and has really only had one serious romantic relationship. She acknowledges this makes her an unusual spokeswoman for the glory and pain of love. When you have a relationship problem, who do you go to for advice?
A. If it's a problem with a friend, I ask my husband. If it's a problem with my husband, and I usually don't ask anyone though I may occasionally ask a friend if I can't puzzle it out. I prefer not to talk about my marriage issues.
3) In this song, Cher wishes she could turn back time and have a different conversation with a former lover, changing what she said to him. Here at Saturday 9, we're not so ambitious with our time travel. We're only going back to yesterday. Is there anything you'd do differently?
A. Yes. I would have slept with a different mouth guard or something, because for two days in a row now I've awakened to find my jaw is locked shut from grinding my teeth. Apparently my mouth guard is not helping.
4) In 1966, Cher and her then-husband Sonny sang at a private birthday party for Jacqueline Kennedy. At first, Cher didn't want to do it, thinking that performing to a small gathering would be awkward. But it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for her. That night, she met Diana Vreeland, the editor of Vogue. Vreeland liked Cher's look so much she set up a photo shoot. Cher, who always loved experimenting with hair and makeup, enjoyed the shoot immensely. Tell us about a social gathering where you had an unexpectedly good time.
A. I had a better time at my high school reunion in 2011 than I expected to. Now isn't it sad I have to go back 8 years to think of something?
5) At that same party, Cher said she was surprised by how big Jackie's hands were. Do you like your hands?
A. My fingers are a bit short and I keep my nails clipped very short in an effort to keep from chewing on them. Anyone interested in palm reading?
6) One night, before a performance in Detroit, Cher saw a little furry something under one of her tour buses. It was a kitten that that she named Mr. Big, hoping he would grow into the name. He did, and the tomcat was her constant companion for four years until he died of a congenital heart ailment. She has said that she will "never not miss him." Is there a furry companion who has a special place in your memories?
A. I had a dog named Ginger for 17 years after my husband and I married. She lived a very long time for a dog.
7) Cher recently appeared in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. It's the second movie based on the music of ABBA. What's your favorite ABBA song?
A. Chiquitita.
8) In 1989 -- the year this song was popular -- Mattel released a series of special "Scarlett O'Hara" Barbie doll to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gone with the Wind. Did you enjoy the classic movie? Have you read the book?
A. I started the book and never finished it. I've seen parts of the movie but I've never watched the entire thing. Yes, I am embarrassment to the south.
9) Random question -- Check your spam folder and tell us one of the subject lines.
A. "Over 10K in debt? Help is on the way."
___________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) The official video for this song was filmed on board the battleship USS Missouri. When is the last time you were on a boat or ship?
A. We took a little boat tour around Myrtle Beach some years ago. So sometime in the last 20 years.
2) This song was written by Diane Warren. Ms. Warren has written love songs recorded by Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, LeAnn Rimes and more, yet she's never married and has really only had one serious romantic relationship. She acknowledges this makes her an unusual spokeswoman for the glory and pain of love. When you have a relationship problem, who do you go to for advice?
A. If it's a problem with a friend, I ask my husband. If it's a problem with my husband, and I usually don't ask anyone though I may occasionally ask a friend if I can't puzzle it out. I prefer not to talk about my marriage issues.
3) In this song, Cher wishes she could turn back time and have a different conversation with a former lover, changing what she said to him. Here at Saturday 9, we're not so ambitious with our time travel. We're only going back to yesterday. Is there anything you'd do differently?
A. Yes. I would have slept with a different mouth guard or something, because for two days in a row now I've awakened to find my jaw is locked shut from grinding my teeth. Apparently my mouth guard is not helping.
4) In 1966, Cher and her then-husband Sonny sang at a private birthday party for Jacqueline Kennedy. At first, Cher didn't want to do it, thinking that performing to a small gathering would be awkward. But it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for her. That night, she met Diana Vreeland, the editor of Vogue. Vreeland liked Cher's look so much she set up a photo shoot. Cher, who always loved experimenting with hair and makeup, enjoyed the shoot immensely. Tell us about a social gathering where you had an unexpectedly good time.
A. I had a better time at my high school reunion in 2011 than I expected to. Now isn't it sad I have to go back 8 years to think of something?
5) At that same party, Cher said she was surprised by how big Jackie's hands were. Do you like your hands?
A. My fingers are a bit short and I keep my nails clipped very short in an effort to keep from chewing on them. Anyone interested in palm reading?
 |
| I don't even have a health line. No wonder I'm sick all the time. |
6) One night, before a performance in Detroit, Cher saw a little furry something under one of her tour buses. It was a kitten that that she named Mr. Big, hoping he would grow into the name. He did, and the tomcat was her constant companion for four years until he died of a congenital heart ailment. She has said that she will "never not miss him." Is there a furry companion who has a special place in your memories?
A. I had a dog named Ginger for 17 years after my husband and I married. She lived a very long time for a dog.
7) Cher recently appeared in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. It's the second movie based on the music of ABBA. What's your favorite ABBA song?
A. Chiquitita.
8) In 1989 -- the year this song was popular -- Mattel released a series of special "Scarlett O'Hara" Barbie doll to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gone with the Wind. Did you enjoy the classic movie? Have you read the book?
A. I started the book and never finished it. I've seen parts of the movie but I've never watched the entire thing. Yes, I am embarrassment to the south.
9) Random question -- Check your spam folder and tell us one of the subject lines.
A. "Over 10K in debt? Help is on the way."
___________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Thursday, April 04, 2019
Thursday Thirteen
Today I finished listening to In Pieces, a memoir by Sally Field. It was much darker than I anticipated and I think many people would find it enlightening, especially with regards to women in theater and television, along with the current wave of #metoo.
So here are thirteen quotes by Sally Field that I found on the Internet. They are not from the book.
1. My agent said, "You aren't good enough for movies." I said, "You're fired."
2. [upon accepting her 1985 Best Actress Oscar] This means so much more to me this time, I don't know why. I think the first time I hardly felt it because it was all too new. But I want to say "Thank you" to you. I haven't had an orthodox career. And I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it. But this time I feel it. And I can't deny the fact that you like me . . . right now . . . you like me. Thank you.
3. My country is still so repressed. Our idea of what is sexual is blonde hair, long legs, 22 years old. It has nothing to do with humour, intelligence, warmth, everything to do with teeth and cleavage.
4. Norma Rae (1979) is inspirational because it's the type of film where one person can be heard.
5. Forrest Gump (1994) is filled full of moments where your heart just cheers.
6. There are not a lot of places for an actor to explore what it's like to be a woman in her 60s. There aren't any films about it and there very few TV series about it.
7. [on trying her hand at golf] I would go to all these locations and think ... why don't I play golf? People walk around and enjoy God, God's gifts, the trees, so I think I've always thought I should have that in my life.
8. [In 2004, recalling her TV show The Flying Nun (1967) to Archive of American Television] I always certainly tried to do my best with it but deeply didn't want to do it. It went for 3 years. It was hugely important time in my life, because I learned a lot, because I didn't want to do it, and because I hated it every day. I hated the garbage. I felt it was just trivia that I had to say. With Gidget (1965), there was some kernel of something real in it. It was the father-daughter relationship that I always could hang on. But there was nothing in the nun that I could make sense out of. It made no sense to me. It was just drivel. And people when they hear me talk like that, they get very angry, "Oh, I grew up with that! I loved it." Well, God bless gesund that you loved it, but it was drivel and nonsense. There wasn't any piece of it that had any human behavior in it. And that bothered me....Madeleine Sherwood, who played Mother Superior, recognized my depression and how difficult this was for me and she recognized why, and she took me to the Actor's Studio. I didn't know that's where I needed to be, and it came a huge turning point in my life.
9. Being a mom is everything. It's mentorship, it's inspirational, its our hope for the future.
10. The industry has always, but certainly now to a huge degree, played to young men, and made a self-fulfilling prophecy about films that aren't directed toward young men by saying there's no audience for it. So they put no money in it, they don't promote it, and then when it doesn't make as much money as the films for young boys, they say, "You see?"
11. Having a long-term career is really about how to ride it and not be rigid. Keep asking yourself "What really blows my skirts up?" To me, it's finding the work.
12. I believe if you have the money, couples should have separate bedrooms. There's something unnatural about sleeping in the same bed, dressing in the same closet, sharing everything.
13. I think I'm much darker than people suspect.
----------------------------
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 598th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
So here are thirteen quotes by Sally Field that I found on the Internet. They are not from the book.
1. My agent said, "You aren't good enough for movies." I said, "You're fired."
2. [upon accepting her 1985 Best Actress Oscar] This means so much more to me this time, I don't know why. I think the first time I hardly felt it because it was all too new. But I want to say "Thank you" to you. I haven't had an orthodox career. And I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it. But this time I feel it. And I can't deny the fact that you like me . . . right now . . . you like me. Thank you.
3. My country is still so repressed. Our idea of what is sexual is blonde hair, long legs, 22 years old. It has nothing to do with humour, intelligence, warmth, everything to do with teeth and cleavage.
4. Norma Rae (1979) is inspirational because it's the type of film where one person can be heard.
5. Forrest Gump (1994) is filled full of moments where your heart just cheers.
6. There are not a lot of places for an actor to explore what it's like to be a woman in her 60s. There aren't any films about it and there very few TV series about it.
7. [on trying her hand at golf] I would go to all these locations and think ... why don't I play golf? People walk around and enjoy God, God's gifts, the trees, so I think I've always thought I should have that in my life.
8. [In 2004, recalling her TV show The Flying Nun (1967) to Archive of American Television] I always certainly tried to do my best with it but deeply didn't want to do it. It went for 3 years. It was hugely important time in my life, because I learned a lot, because I didn't want to do it, and because I hated it every day. I hated the garbage. I felt it was just trivia that I had to say. With Gidget (1965), there was some kernel of something real in it. It was the father-daughter relationship that I always could hang on. But there was nothing in the nun that I could make sense out of. It made no sense to me. It was just drivel. And people when they hear me talk like that, they get very angry, "Oh, I grew up with that! I loved it." Well, God bless gesund that you loved it, but it was drivel and nonsense. There wasn't any piece of it that had any human behavior in it. And that bothered me....Madeleine Sherwood, who played Mother Superior, recognized my depression and how difficult this was for me and she recognized why, and she took me to the Actor's Studio. I didn't know that's where I needed to be, and it came a huge turning point in my life.
9. Being a mom is everything. It's mentorship, it's inspirational, its our hope for the future.
10. The industry has always, but certainly now to a huge degree, played to young men, and made a self-fulfilling prophecy about films that aren't directed toward young men by saying there's no audience for it. So they put no money in it, they don't promote it, and then when it doesn't make as much money as the films for young boys, they say, "You see?"
11. Having a long-term career is really about how to ride it and not be rigid. Keep asking yourself "What really blows my skirts up?" To me, it's finding the work.
12. I believe if you have the money, couples should have separate bedrooms. There's something unnatural about sleeping in the same bed, dressing in the same closet, sharing everything.
13. I think I'm much darker than people suspect.
----------------------------
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 598th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Wednesday, April 03, 2019
Hair of the Dog
My hair is a problem.
No, that is not true. My hair is doing what hair does - grow and turn gray.
The problem is I don't have a regular place to go for a haircut.
This began back in November when my hairdresser of 30+ years retired. She gave little warning of her decision and I was left with a few names and a prayer.
When I became a little shaggy in December, I went to a walk-in place and the girl did an okay job. In early January, I went to a woman I have known all of my life and she did a nice job, but I thought she overcharged me by about $10. She also only works three days a week and is hard to get in to see.
I ended up back at the walk-in place in early February. I saw a different person who gave me the second-worst haircut I have ever had in my life. (The worst haircut occurred when I was 20 and getting ready to be married. I mean literally just two weeks from my wedding day.)
In early March, I went to a different walk-in place and that was a good haircut and a decent price. But it is a 30-minute drive away.
Today I returned to the place where I'd went for 30 years, only to see a different stylist. I was hunting for a familiarity in this effort, thinking the familiar surroundings would offer comfort.
I don't think I will go back.
It is easy to do things out of habit and complacency. For some time, when I was seeing my old beautician (let's call her Barb for fun - that is not her name), I'd noticed that when I left the salon I stunk. Not as in sweaty stink but as in perm or hair solution or something stink. For a good two or three years, maybe longer, after Barb cut my hair once a month, I then came home and took a second shower.
If I didn't my asthma kicked in and that is no fun.
I'd forgotten that problem in my hopes of easing the unease I feel wandering into strange places in hunting a hair dresser. I remembered it today while I was sitting in the chair having my hair trimmed. I guess a place that has been a hair salon for 30 years is going to smell like perms and hair solution, and that stuff is going to get on your clothes so badly that you have to come home, shower, and wash even your light jacket because it picks up the scent.
Mostly, though, I won't go back because the stylist today told me that Barb had returned to work part-time, and was working three days a week. But Barb hadn't let me know. I was stung and hurt when I learned of this. Thirty years of loyalty and this was my reward?
This is now my choice, to roam about hunting for a hair stylist. I hope I never tie myself to one person for beauty treatments again.
Maybe it is better to look a little different every month (even if it is with the Second Worst Haircut of Your Life).
Perhaps it builds character.
Life is a little more complicated every day, and it shouldn't be so difficult. But I'm not going to let it bother me, because it is only hair.
No, that is not true. My hair is doing what hair does - grow and turn gray.
The problem is I don't have a regular place to go for a haircut.
This began back in November when my hairdresser of 30+ years retired. She gave little warning of her decision and I was left with a few names and a prayer.
When I became a little shaggy in December, I went to a walk-in place and the girl did an okay job. In early January, I went to a woman I have known all of my life and she did a nice job, but I thought she overcharged me by about $10. She also only works three days a week and is hard to get in to see.
I ended up back at the walk-in place in early February. I saw a different person who gave me the second-worst haircut I have ever had in my life. (The worst haircut occurred when I was 20 and getting ready to be married. I mean literally just two weeks from my wedding day.)
In early March, I went to a different walk-in place and that was a good haircut and a decent price. But it is a 30-minute drive away.
Today I returned to the place where I'd went for 30 years, only to see a different stylist. I was hunting for a familiarity in this effort, thinking the familiar surroundings would offer comfort.
I don't think I will go back.
It is easy to do things out of habit and complacency. For some time, when I was seeing my old beautician (let's call her Barb for fun - that is not her name), I'd noticed that when I left the salon I stunk. Not as in sweaty stink but as in perm or hair solution or something stink. For a good two or three years, maybe longer, after Barb cut my hair once a month, I then came home and took a second shower.
If I didn't my asthma kicked in and that is no fun.
I'd forgotten that problem in my hopes of easing the unease I feel wandering into strange places in hunting a hair dresser. I remembered it today while I was sitting in the chair having my hair trimmed. I guess a place that has been a hair salon for 30 years is going to smell like perms and hair solution, and that stuff is going to get on your clothes so badly that you have to come home, shower, and wash even your light jacket because it picks up the scent.
Mostly, though, I won't go back because the stylist today told me that Barb had returned to work part-time, and was working three days a week. But Barb hadn't let me know. I was stung and hurt when I learned of this. Thirty years of loyalty and this was my reward?
This is now my choice, to roam about hunting for a hair stylist. I hope I never tie myself to one person for beauty treatments again.
Maybe it is better to look a little different every month (even if it is with the Second Worst Haircut of Your Life).
Perhaps it builds character.
Life is a little more complicated every day, and it shouldn't be so difficult. But I'm not going to let it bother me, because it is only hair.
Tuesday, April 02, 2019
No April Fool
Yesterday was April Fool's Day.
Not my favorite day of the year by any stretch of the imagination.
My sense of humor is not bad, though it's a little out of the ordinary. But I find April Fool's jokes, unless they are incredibly exceptional, to mostly be in poor taste.
So much information on my Facebook page yesterday appeared to be false that I simply gave up looking at it. Someone reposted NPR's story from 2015 about Hillary Clinton's announcement that she was running for president, and that set off a firestorm from the schmucks who only read the headline and didn't look at the article to see the date.
Not funny. Not even remotely amusing. That loss still stings and rankles and I expect if I live to be over 100 (which I won't), it will sting and rankle.
In school, April Fool's jokes consisted of, "You've got a bug in your hair! Ha ha, April Fool's" or similar nonsense. It is rather like being pinched on March 17 if you are not wearing green. Who comes up with this dumb shit?
Apparently nobody knows, or at least not the Wikipedia writers. They guess it started way back in the Middle Ages (about 475 a.d. to 1500 (a very long time for stupidity to reign)), tracing it by some accounts back to Chaucer (1392).
At any rate, it goes back hundreds of years, this foolishness.
So what makes a good April Fool's joke? Some of the local ones are more hoaxes than jokes. I seem to recall a radio station saying that the city was going to rename Mill Mountain, or some such, one year. I listened to indignant callers for a while, some who were obviously smirking and in on the joke and some who had been taken in totally and really though this was happening. Funny? Maybe. But I think hoaxes are ultimately mean, even if meant in fun or jest. Who wants to feel the fool, anyway? Doesn't that happen often enough in day-to-day living without creating special circumstances for it?
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Lastly, I have to note that yesterday was the day my aunt, Carolyn, and my uncles, Jerry and Junior, along with their wives and perhaps a cousin or two, went to Kansas to finish the burial of my uncle who perished in a fire back in the winter. There is nothing funny about that, but my aunt and I both thought (me, at least, with a touch of melancholy and slightly wry amusement,) that it was an appropriate and fitting day to bury Uncle Butch. Not that he was a joker or a fool; I know he was a loved brother, husband, father, friend, etc. Still, for some reason it seems fitting that he was finally laid to rest on All Fool's Day.
Not my favorite day of the year by any stretch of the imagination.
My sense of humor is not bad, though it's a little out of the ordinary. But I find April Fool's jokes, unless they are incredibly exceptional, to mostly be in poor taste.
So much information on my Facebook page yesterday appeared to be false that I simply gave up looking at it. Someone reposted NPR's story from 2015 about Hillary Clinton's announcement that she was running for president, and that set off a firestorm from the schmucks who only read the headline and didn't look at the article to see the date.
Not funny. Not even remotely amusing. That loss still stings and rankles and I expect if I live to be over 100 (which I won't), it will sting and rankle.
In school, April Fool's jokes consisted of, "You've got a bug in your hair! Ha ha, April Fool's" or similar nonsense. It is rather like being pinched on March 17 if you are not wearing green. Who comes up with this dumb shit?
Apparently nobody knows, or at least not the Wikipedia writers. They guess it started way back in the Middle Ages (about 475 a.d. to 1500 (a very long time for stupidity to reign)), tracing it by some accounts back to Chaucer (1392).
At any rate, it goes back hundreds of years, this foolishness.
So what makes a good April Fool's joke? Some of the local ones are more hoaxes than jokes. I seem to recall a radio station saying that the city was going to rename Mill Mountain, or some such, one year. I listened to indignant callers for a while, some who were obviously smirking and in on the joke and some who had been taken in totally and really though this was happening. Funny? Maybe. But I think hoaxes are ultimately mean, even if meant in fun or jest. Who wants to feel the fool, anyway? Doesn't that happen often enough in day-to-day living without creating special circumstances for it?
--------------------
Lastly, I have to note that yesterday was the day my aunt, Carolyn, and my uncles, Jerry and Junior, along with their wives and perhaps a cousin or two, went to Kansas to finish the burial of my uncle who perished in a fire back in the winter. There is nothing funny about that, but my aunt and I both thought (me, at least, with a touch of melancholy and slightly wry amusement,) that it was an appropriate and fitting day to bury Uncle Butch. Not that he was a joker or a fool; I know he was a loved brother, husband, father, friend, etc. Still, for some reason it seems fitting that he was finally laid to rest on All Fool's Day.
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